Heaviside High
by Quiffin
Summary: Victoria is the new girl in school. When the queen bee Bombalurina and her clique take her under their collective wing, Victoria sees a side of high school she never knew existed. (Human AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I know the high school au has been beaten to death, and everyone is probably sick of it by now, but I wanted to take a stab at it. For the reference all the Jellicles are human in this story.**

**And also a shout out to Chuck's Prophet, my beta!**

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High school. It was a necessary stepping stone in a persons life, or so they say. It was the milestone that prepared you for college, and then the working world; then ultimately, when retirement was far past it's ripe, death. But what they don't tell you is that nothing prepares you for high school. The judgement, the hierarchy, the struggle to climb the social ladder. Or at least the struggle to not fall any lower on it.

Victoria had been to her share of high schools. Heaviside High was her third high school, and she was only a Sophomore. Her dad's work caused them to move around a lot. But he had promised that they were going to stay here until she graduated. She was skeptical, but she played along anyways.

And that was how she found herself in the guidance office, sitting in between a Gothic burnout, and two students devouring each other's faces. She was determined not to look at either one. The burnout smelled of grunge and whatever that stain on his shirt was, and she was afraid if she even looked at the couple beside her she would get pregnant. Didn't this school have any rules against PDA?

"Victoria?" Called out the woman behind the desk. Relieved, she stood up and smoothed down her white dress. Finally. She snuck a look behind her, and the grunge guy growled at her. She gave a little squeak, and turned back towards the woman at the desk., clutching her books to her chest.

"Hi, yeah, I'm Victoria." She said, tucking a stray piece of white blond hair behind her ear.

"Hi, Victoria. I'm Jellylorum."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Jellylorum raised and eyebrow at her.

"What?" Victoria asked.

"Nothing, I just haven't had anyone call me ma'am in a long while." She shook her head. "Anyways, this is Exotica."

Jellylorum gestured to a girl beside her that Victoria hadn't noticed before. She had deep brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail and dark skin. She was pretty, but in a plain sort of way.

"Oh, uh, hi Exotica! I didn't see you there." She said. Exotica shrugged.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." She said, with an amused smile.

"Exotica here has volunteered to show you around school. She'll take you to your classes and so on." Jellylorum slipped her reading glasses on, and picked ip her clip bored. "You two better get on your way. I've got more students to take care of. Griddlebone! Growltiger! Break it up before I come over there and make you."

Exotica giggled beside Victoria, and the couple she was sitting beside earlier broke apart.

"C'mon, let's go." Exotica whispered in her ear, before linking arms with her and pulling her out of the guidance office.

"So, who were those kids?" Victoria asked, once they were out of ear shot.

"Grid and Growltiger. Their 'that' couple. You know, one of those couples that're never more than a few inches away from each other, and are always way too affectionate? Yeah that's them."

"Aah, so not everyone at this school is trying to absorb each other's bodies? Good to know."

Exotica laughed. "You're funny. I like that."

Victoria just shrugged.

"So where is your homeroom?" Exotica asked, pulling the schedule out of Victoria's hands.

"Uh, A107, I think."

"Miss Jenny. She's a nice teacher. A little strict, but not really yell-y or or PMS-y. She's kind of like a mother, but with military training tossed in there. Just don't get on her bad side and you'll be fine."

"Dully noted."

Both of them headed down the noisy hallway towards the direction of Victoria's homeroom, and Exotica continued to look through her schedule.

"Looks like we have fourth period and lunch together, that's good. Do you know how to get to your other classes?"

"Yeah I think. I've got a map right h-" Victoria was interrupted as a guy in a sports jacket slammed into her, making her drop all of her books. Her papers scattered everywhere, many of them getting trampled under various students' shoes.

"Watch where you're going." the guy scoffed, before continuing down the hallway. Victoria glared at his back from the floor, and started to pick up her papers while simultaneously trying to not be stepped on.

"Who was _that?_" She asked as Exotica bent over to help.

"Admetus. He's one of the guys on our track team. Just ignore him. He thinks he's way cooler than he actually is. Here's a suggestion though, hole punch all of your papers and keep them in a binder so when you inevitably get book checked this doesn't happen again. Here."

Exotica passed Victoria the papers she had picked up.

"Are you sure you're not a freshman?" Exotica laughed.

"Shut up. My last two school were small private schools."

"Ah, so we've got a prissy case, then?"

"I'm not a priss. And it's not like I was home schooled or anything like that. It was a catholic school, not a daycare. What grade are you in, anyways?"

"I'm a Junior."

The warning bell rang out in the hallway, and kids started scrambling to get to their classes.

"Look- I gotta go, my homeroom's on the second floor. Miss Jenny's room is right down this hallway, last door on your left. You gonna be okay till second period?"

"Don't worry _mom,_ I'll be fine." Victoria said snarkily. Exotica rolled her eyes.

"Alright, well good luck then. I'll see you fourth period." Exotica waved goodbye to her, then Victoria was alone.

She hurriedly made her way to her homeroom, this time making sure she didn't run into anyone else. It always stunk being the new girl in school. No one knew who you were, and most people didn't care enough to find out. But she seemed to have found a friend in Exotica. Hopefully she would let her sit with her at lunch. Nothing killed you socially like sitting alone at lunch. Victoria shivered at the thought. How embarrassing would that be?

She made it in the door with a minute to spare, and made her way over to the teacher's desk.

"Hi, Miss Jenny? I'm Victoria." Victoria said, holding her hand out for her to shake. Jenny took her hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Hi there, Victoria. Welcome to my homeroom."

Miss Jenny was a slightly chubby older woman with short ginger hair. She had a bright orange and yellow fuzzy sweater on, that Victoria was sure could double as an industrial hazard sign if necessary. But she seemed nice.

"Go ahead and sit anywhere. I'll be doing roll in a few minutes."

Victoria nodded, then looked around at the room. Most of the seats were taken. A couple of girls who were sitting in the back and whispering looked at her and laughed. Victoria blushed and looked down at her shoes. _Just find a seat and ignore them._ She thought. There were a couple empty seats in the front, and she choose the one farthest from the door.

She opened up the book she had started this week, and slouched low in her seat in attempt to just disappear. Unfortunately, not two seconds went by before she felt a presence beside her. She looked up to find a guy sitting down in the desk beside her.

"Hey. I'm Plato." He said, smiling at her.

"Um, I'm Victoria. C-can I help you?" She stuttered. She wasn't used to guys coming up to her. Or talking to her at all, really.

"You're new here, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I like your dress."

Victoria looked down at her white chiffon dress, and pulled it to cover her knees better. "Uh, thank you?"

"You're welcome. So who do you have first period?" He snatched the schedule off her desk before she could grab it.

"Please give that back."

"Mr. Skimbleshanks for history? Hey- me too! Looks like we'll be history buddies! You don't look like a Junior, though." He said, looking her over. Victoria blushed. She was used to people thinking she looked young. She'd always been small, and kind of a stick-like figure. She never filled out much in puberty, and was unusually skinny because she danced.

"I'm not. I'm a sophomore." She said.

"How are you in a Junior class then? You must be pretty smart."

"I guess. My mom was a history teacher."

"That's cool."

Behind them Miss Jenny stood up from her desk. "Alright, class. I'm going to start roll call. Just say here when I call you're name, alright?"

Plato looked back at the group of friends he had been chatting with earlier. "Hey- I gotta go. See you in first period." He said, winking at Victoria.

He was gone before she could say bye back. Victoria opened up her book again, and tried to clear her thoughts. This school was certainly interesting so far. And she was only halfway through homeroom. She had a feeling that this was only the beginning of of a very long day.


	2. Chapter 2

"Bombalurina, are you almost ready? You've been in the bathroom for an hour and a half now.

Bombalurina rolled her eyes from her position at the sink as she penciled in her water line.

"Look Demeter, it's the first day of senior year. And I've got a standard to uphold. I know you don't care, but some of us have a lot of people looking up to them."

"Looking up to?" Demeter scoffed. That wasn't exactly the way she would phrase is. "You're hardly someone that anyone should look up to, Bombs."

"Whatever. Can you tie me?" Bombalurina asked, coming out of the bathroom. She brushed her long red curls out of the way so Demeter could tie the bow in the back if of her shirt. Demeter begrudgingly obliged.

"We're going to be late if you don't finish up soon." She commented as she tied. "There, done."

"Thanks." Bombalurina said before going back to the mirror and fluffing up her hair. "Can you hand me the hair spray from my dresser? I don't want my hair to get flat."

"I'm not your servant, you know." Demeter grumbled as she went to get the hairspray. She just wanted Bombalurina to finish up as soon as possible so they wouldn't be late.

"Mhmm, whatever you say Dem." Bombalurina said absently as she took the can from her hands. She flipped her hair over and ran her fingers through it and she sprayed it over with the sticky substance. When she was done she flipped her hair back up and did one last check in the mirror. She bared her teeth, making sure she hadn't gotten any of her red lipstick on them and ran a finger under her eyes to get rid of any smudges that her eyeliner might have made. She smiled at her reflection. Perfect.

"Alright, ready." She said, grabbing her pumps off the floor. She would put them on when they got to the school parking lot. No way she would drive with platform heels on.

She looked over her sister with distain. She looked good enough in her collared shirt and dark wash jeans, but she had gone with her usual minimal makeup and flat ponytail.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do your hair, Dem? It wouldn't be a disservice to me. If anything it would be to my benefit. We can't have anyone in our little group look shabby."

Demeter rolled her eyes. Her sister was always offering to give her makeovers. "I'm fine, Bombs. Can we just go? The guys are gonna wonder where we are. And are we picking up Cass this morning?"

The girls continued out the door and to Bombalurina's car.

"No. She'd riding with Alonzo this morning." Bombalurina said. She sat in the drivers seat and grabbed her sunglasses from the glove compartment.

"Are they back together already?" Demeter asked, slipping into the passenger seat.

"Apparently." Bombalurina turned the key in the ignition.

The drive from their house to school was fairly short. They could walk if they needed to, and probably should have. But there was no way Bombalurina would be caught walking to school. Especially in heels.

When they arrived in the high school parking lot Munkustrap, Tugger, Macavity, Alonzo, and Cassandra were waiting for them. Their group of seven had alway hung out together, ever since sixth grade. Bombalurina and Demeter had been friends with the the three Deuteronomy brothers, Munkustrap, Tugger, and Macavity. Munkutrap introduced Alonzo into the group, and when he started dating Cassandra, she was brought into the group as well.

"I told you everyone was going to be waiting for us." Demeter mumbled as Bombalurina pulled into her assigned parking spot.

"Yes, I know Demeter." Bombalurina said in a patronizing tone as she put on her heels. "That was on purpose."

Demeter just rolled her eyes and got out of the car. Her sister always had to make an entrance. Bombalurina stepped out of her car next, her heels clacking on the pavement, and the both of them made their way over to the group.

"Hey Bombs." Tugger said smiling at her. "And Dem." He added when he got a glare from Demeter. Tugger never really liked Demeter much, they had never gotten along. But she tolerated him for her sister's sake. Tugger and Bombalurina had been friends since first grade. It was their friendship that brought their siblings together and started the base of the group.

"Hey baby, lookin' good." Macavity commented, pulling his Bombalurina into his arms. They had been dating for almost a year and a half now. It wasn't so much that they loved each other, it was more like a convenience than anything. They were both very power oriented people, so it only made sense that they would make the perfect power couple.

"And you're looking as handsome as ever." Bombalurina purred back flirtatiously.

Alonzo made gagging noises behind them.

"Get a room you two!" He hollered. Cassandra slapped him in the chest and rolled her eyes.

"Anyone do anything interesting since the last time we hung out?" Bombalurina asked, pulling away from Macavity. He kept a possessive arm around her waist.

"Munkustrap got hit on by a gorgeous blond chick at the movie theater." Tugger said pulling his brother into a headlock, and giving him a nuggie.

"Hey idiot get off of me!" Munkustrap growled, trying to escape.

"Did you get her number?" Bombalurina said, raising a manicured eyebrow.

"Nope. This dolt turned her down."

Munkustrap manage to wrestle his way out of his brother's arms.

"What? Why?" Bombalurina asked surprised. "It's rare enough that a girl sees past that moody scowl of yours, let alone flirts with you. Did she have bad breath or something?"

"Nope. She was a perfect eight a least." Tugger said.

"I just... I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now. I've got a lot going on, okay? There's a lot involved in being the president of the senior class." Munkustrap explained, brushing down his shirt. Munkustrap definitely took his job as president seriously. Pretty much all he did was work. Whenever any of the others tried to talk some sense into him and get him away from his books, he would just shake his head and say that it would all pay off in the future.

"I think he's got the hots for someone personally." Alonzo smirked.

"Shut up Alonzo." Munkustrap growled.

"Ooh, you like someone? Do tell." Cassandra said, grinning.

"I don't like anyone- and I even if I did, I wouldn't tell any of you. Especially you, Cassandra."

Cassandra put a hand over her heart in mock pain. "Why me especially?" She asked, sticking out her bottom lip.

"Cassandra you're a total gossip and you know it." Demeter remarked from where she was sitting on the curb.

"She's right Cass. You couldn't keep a secret if your life depended on it." Alonzo said.

"Well thanks for defending me, honey." Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest.

"Aw, c'mon you know I love ya Cass." He said, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey guys I think we need to go in. Warning bell is in 5 minutes."

"Thank you, Dem." Tugger said, putting an arm around her. "Always keeping us punctual."

Demeter scoffed and pushed his arm off of her. "Gross."

Tugger just laughed at her discomfort. Demeter was one of the only girls in the school who didn't fall for his charms. It was always fun to annoy her.

"Demeter's right." Macavity said. "We can't be delinquents on the first day, right?" He winked at her.

"Alright, well I'll see you all at lunch then. And I'll see you first period." Bombalurina purred, giving Macavity a chaste kiss.

"See you then," He grinned.

Bombalurina linked arms with her sister. They had been in the same homeroom since freshman year, so they always walked together.

"Bye!" Bombalurina waved as she and Demeter walked away from the group and made their way into the school. Once they were gone the rest of the group dissipated, everyone heading to their separate homerooms.

"This school year is going to be fun, I can tell. Can you believe we're seniors already?" Bombalurina said, with a smile. She waved to one of the underclassmen flirtatiously as the walked down one of the noisy hallways of the school.

"This school year can't end soon enough." Demeter muttered under her breath. She just had to last until graduation. Then she could ditch this hell hole and start living. Until then, she was biding her time.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time lunch rolled around, Victoria was exhausted. So far she had been passed a rude note, been hit on by a disgusting creep, and had to sit in front of a girl who chewed her gum the loudest Victoria had ever heard. Really, how hard was it to chew with your mouth closed? At least Exotica had invited her to sit with her and her friends. One less cruelty she'd have to suffer. Eating in the bathroom was not something Victoria wanted to cross off her bucket list.

"So, how has your first day at Heaviside High been so far?" Exotica asked her when they were waiting in line.

"Tiring. And stressful." Victoria said, shifting her tray onto her hip.

"Sounds about right." Exotica nodded. The lunch lady plopped a spoon full of soggy beans and a watery piece of chicken on Exotica's tray. Victoria's face screwed up in disgust.

"Is any of this edible?" She whispered, as the lunch lady slopped the same on her tray.

Exotica shrugged. "Barely. I suggest packing."

"I most certainly will take that into consideration."

The two girls got in line at the cash register.

"Have you got your student ID on you?"

"Yeah."

"Good. You'll need it to check out, and I'm not paying for yours."

The girls waited for a couple more moments, when some rowdy boys jumped in line ahead of them. Victoria frowned.

"They're cutting!" She hissed at Exotica.

"Ignore them. They're seniors, so they can get away with it."

"The lunch ladies let that slide?"

"Do they look like they care if someone cuts in line?"

Victoria looked at the lunch ladies ahead of them. They all look exhausted. Some of their hairnets were falling out, an they all had bags under their eyes. They were almost like zombies as they checked out the kids. Swiping one card after another, just trying to get the students out and eating as soon as possible.

"I see your point." Victoria conceded.

"Being a lunch lady is a pretty thankless job. My aunt was one for a couple years, actually. She hated it."

They made it to the end of the line, and the lady checked them out.

"Our table's over here." Exotica said. Victoria followed her to the far corner of the cafeteria. It wasn't the best table ever, but it had a good view of the rest of the cafeteria.

Exotica sat down beside a pair of twins, and Victoria sat to her left.

"Cori, Tanto, this is Victoria."

The twins waved at her.

"Victoria, this is Coricopat and Tantomile. These two are psychics."

Coricopat laughed. "Not psychics. We are just good at predicting things."

"And over here, we have the magical Mr. Mistoffelees!" Exotica said pointing to a boy about Victoria's age across the table. He had kind of a small build, but he was also kind of cute with a black mop of hair.

"Hey, there, Victoria. You can just call me Misto." Misto said, holding his hand out. Victoria shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Misto!" She smiled.

"Misto here is our resident magician. He does kids parties and the like."

"Cool." Victoria said, nodding her head. She looked down at her tray and poked her fork at the piece of chicken. Blech. No way she was going to eat that. She looked up at Exotica.

"So, uh, is there anyone else I should know about?"

"Oh yeah definitely!" Exotica said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "See that table over there?" She pointed to her right. "Those are the trouble makers. Especially those two, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. If you aren't careful around them they'll rob you blind. But they're pretty nice."

"Really? I don't really think robbery is very nice." Victoria said, skeptical. She looked the twins over. They were both gingers, and pretty skinny. The boy, Mungojerrie, looked pretty tall.

"You just have to get to know them. If you ever get invited to a party you can bet you'll see them there." Exotica ate another spoonful of beans.

"That table over there is the jocks and rich boys." Exotica said, pointing with her spoon. Victoria looked over at the table. It was full of rowdy boys. Two of them were trying to force feed another to eat a slice of pizza dipped in mayo that looked like it had been in the freezer for the last century.

"Gross."

"Tumblebrutus is the one with the polo shirt and brown hair. He's the varsity linebacker. Then there's Plato. He's on the Track team."

"I know him! He's in my homeroom." Victoria interjected.

"Did he talk your ear off yet?"

"Just about."

Exotica laughed. "Yup, that's Plato. And sitting next to him is Asparagus. His Daddy owns the strip mall in the next town over. They own the biggest house in Victoria Grove. And the last is Admetus. You've met him already."

Victoria groaned. "Yes I did. I still have the bruise to prove it."

"He's on the soccer team, he plays defense."

"You seem to know a lot about all these people." Victoria commented. Exotica shrugged.

"I've always been a people watcher. I like to stay in the background. I also know everyone's business because me sister knows everyone's business. She's a terrible gossip."

"You have a sister?"

"She's over there, at the table in the middle of the room with the rest of the High School royalty."

"Royalty?"

"Everyone at that table is the best of the best in the school. They are the top dogs of the school. Cassandra, my sister, is there, sitting beside her boyfriend Alonzo."

Victoria could see the resemblance. Cassandra had a lighter skin color than Exotica. It was more caramel like. Similar to Exotica, Cassandra had her hair in a tight ponytail. But she looked much more polished and sleek.

Alonzo was a handsome boy with short black hair. He looked fairly clean cut and well groomed. Everyone at the table did, in fact.

"If your sister is over there, why aren't you?"

Exotica laughed. "They don't let just anyone in the group. Besides, my sister barely says two words to me during school. As soon as we set foot through those glass doors, I'm as good as disowned."

"Talk about sisterly love." Victoria said sarcastically.

"I'm used to it." Exotica said, taking a bite of her chicken. "The guy beside Alonzo is Munkustrap. He's our class president. Very serious and no nonsense. But also very good looking. Beside him is his also very good looking brother, Tugger."

Tugger was indeed handsome. While Munkustrap was more of a serious business man kid of handsome, Tugger was more of a rugged rock star kind of handsome. His blond hair was just the perfect mixture of neat and messy, and he had stubble peppering his jaw. His face held an easy smirk, as if he were up to no good.

"He's the ladies man. Just one look from him can turn have the girls at this school into jello. He takes advantage of his good looks, too. He's been breaking hearts since middle school."

"I can see the appeal." Victoria said.

"Careful not to fall into his trap, though. That's not a road you want to travel. Then there is the final brother, Macavity. He's the bad boy."

"So-wait, are they all seniors? How is that possible?"

"Tugger and Munk were born nine months apart, and Mac was held back."

"Why?"

"He skipped too many days of school his Junior year. One time he disappeared for a whole month, and no one knew where he was until he came back."

"Where did he go?"

"Apparently he went cross country caravanning."

Victoria looked over Macavity. Like his brothers, he was also handsome, an his red hair was falling half-hazardly in his eyes. But something about him was just more... Sinister. She couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was the way he was scanning the room with a predatory eye, or how he was cracking his knuckles. Either way, Victoria didn't like it. She diverted her attention to the girl sitting beside him.

She was certainly beautiful. She had cherry red hair that fell in curls to her chest, and bright red lipstick to match. Every inch of her just oozed perfection and power.

"Who's that?" Victoria asked.

"Bombalurina. She is the almighty queen bee. No one gets in her way. All the girls in school want to be her, and all the boys want to date her. She's bullet proof. And if you cross her, beware because the claws _will_ come out. You rub her the wrong way and she will murder you socially."

"She sounds nice." Victoria said sarcastically.

"She's stone cold." Exotica admitted. "But she does whatever she sets her mind to. For that, I respect her."

Exotica took a drink of her milk, and looked Victoria dead in the eye. "And you should learn to too, if you plan on surviving here."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! It's been a while since I updated this story, but I'm not going to give up on it! I still really love the plot I have for this, so I'll keep updating it, even if it's only every once in a while. Anywho, here ya go!**

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On the other side of the cafeteria, the group of seven sat together, conversing about their day, and whatever gossip had been learned since they last met.

"Do you guys hear about Griddlebone?" Cassandra asked, her eyes wide in excitement. She always got excited over new gossip. "I heard that she was at a back to school senior party the other week, and she ended up making out with some punk guy!"

Bombalurina raised a manicured eyebrow. "Does Growltiger know this?"

Cassandra scoffed. "Of course not. If he did, he'd never let her out of his sight again! He's so desperate." She rolled her eyes. She was endlessly glad Alonzo wasn't like that. When she flirted with other boys, sure he wasn't thrilled, but he knew that it was just her way. Just like it was his way to flirt with other girls.

"Hey- You gonna eat that, Cass?" Alonzo asked, pointing at Cassandra's tray of food. She hadn't touched it since lunch had started.

"Nah- I'm on a no carb diet." Cassandra replied, moving the tray over to her boyfriend.

"For what reason?" Demeter asked incredulously from across the table as she ate a french fry. "You're already stick thin."

"Yeah, well, I'd like to stay that way." Cassandra said. She took her water bottle off of her tray, where Alonzo had already transferred most of her food onto his own tray.

The small group was seated at a table in the middle of the cafeteria, the spot Bombalurina had personally picked. There had been some freshmen sitting there before, but for whatever reason, Bombalurina wanted to sit there. And when Bombalurina wanted something, she got it.

"Alonzo, if you keep pigging out like that, you're going to get as big as Mr. Jones." Tugger scoffed.

"Well, we can't all be toned sex gods with six packs like you, can we Tugger?" Alonzo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he shoveled more food into his face.

"Please, don't fan the flame of his ego any bigger than it already is, 'Lonz." Munkustrap said.

"You're just jealous 'cuz I get all the babes." Tugger said haughtily, popping the collar of his favorite leather jacket.

Munkustrap laughed. "As if. The day I'm jealous of _you _is the day pigs fly."

"Whatever you say, bookworm."

Tugger took a spoon full of rice and flicked it at his brother, and it bounced off his head. Demeter made a face.

"Stop flinging food around, Tugger. What are you- twelve? You know someone is going to have to clean that up."

Tugger stuck his tongue out at her before getting another spoonful of rice and throwing it across the table, missing Demeter by a couple inches, and almost hitting Bombalurina who was sat beside her.

"Hey! Watch it!" Bombalurina growled. If he got rice in her hair or on her shirt, there would be hell to pay.

"Sorry, babe." Tugger laughed. Bombalurina pursed her lips, but said nothing. Macavity, who sat on her other side, put his arm around her.

"Did you see that new girl?" He said, changing the subject. "She just came in today. Her names like Veronica or something. Plato was telling me about her during chem class. He said she was hot, and pretty smart, too."

"Oh?" Bombalurina said, intrigued. It had been a while since someone new had come to the school. Because the town was so small, the only got a new kid once every couple of years. The last new kid had been Mistoffelees, and that was three years before. A new kid could be trouble.

"I think Exotica is showing her around today. She's probably sitting at her table."

_So, probably not a threat_. Bombalurina thought. _But still. It might be a good idea to investigate this girl a little further just to make sure._

_"_Do we know anything about her?" Bombalurina asked.

"I can ask around, if you want." Cassandra said.

"You do that." If this girl had anything they could use, it was good to know it right away. And if anyone was good at finding information on someone, it was Cassandra.

Bombalurina grabbed her purse and smoothed down her hair.

"Deme, come to the bathroom with me?" She said, getting up to leave.

"Why? You're perfectly capable of going yourself." Demeter whined.

Bombalurina rolled her eyes and grabbed her sister by the arm. "We'll be right back."

* * *

Demeter and Bombalurina were talking by their lockers after school when Cassandra came up to them with information.

"So, I've got some details on the new girl." She said.

"Spill." Bombalurina replied, stacking her books into her locker.

"Her name is Victoria. Apparently she's some history teacher's daughter. She comes from a wealthy family, but because of her dad's profession, they don't get to see a whole lot of coin. She's a grade ahead in a subject or two, and has pretty average grades. No ex boyfriends or cat fights. She's squeaky clean." Cassandra said the last part with near disgust.

Bombalurina nodded, and chewed her lip in thought. Her eyes were narrowed in calculation. It was a look she often had before hatching one of her infamous plans.

"Gus invited us all to his back to school pool party this Saturday." She began. "Make sure she gets an invitation, and shows up."

Cassandra furrowed her eyebrows. "And how, exactly, do you suppose I do that?"

"Well, you're sister is friends with her, isn't she? Tell her they can both come. As long as Victoria is there."

"Seriously? Are you sure Gus would be cool with that? You know this party is just going to be A-list. Why invite her? She'll be totally out of place."

"I've got my reasons." Bombalurina snapped. She didn't like it when people challenged her judgement. "Just do it."

Cassandra knew better than to argue, and Bombalurina took her silence for agreement to the plan.

"Good." She said, closing her locker. She turned to look at Cassandra. "Now Demeter and I are going to get smoothies. Are you coming or not?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Yoooo next chapter! This is mostly more background and foundation for the story, sorry if it's not super action packed. But action is coming, I promise haha!**

_The next day..._

"Thanks for inviting me over, Exotic." Victoria said. Exotics shrugged as she unlocked the front door of her home.

"My pleasure."

The lock clicked and Exotica three the door open. Instantly, Victoria's mouth fell to an O shape.

"Wow," she said as she took in the foyer, "you have a really nice house."

On the outside the house didn't look that big, in fact it was almost average. But the inside made up for whatever the size of the home lacked. The decorating on the inside oozed decadence. The floor was white marble tile and the walls were and equally blinding shade. There was gold and crystal adorning most of the furniture, which was all black and white. Any open space left over was filled with exotic plants and flowers.

Exotica just shrugged. "My mom has a taste for expensive. I never really thought much of it, but my sister takes every chances she can get to show it off. It's kind of ridiculous. Oh- and make sure you take of your shoes. Mom's crazy about the sort of thing. You can put the on the mat by the door."

Victoria turned around to see the mat, then slipped of her white sandals, leaving them by the door.

"C'mon, my room's upstairs."

Exotica motioned to the stairs with her head, and Victoria followed after her.

"I can't believe you live here." Victoria said as they ascended, her feet sinking into the plush carpet beneath her.

Exotica gave her a puzzled look. "Why?"

"I dunno. You just don't seem like the kind of person to live in this sort of house, that's all."

They made it to Exotica's bedroom, and she opened the door. Now _this_ room looked more her style.

It was more simple than the rest of the home, having muted earth tones rather than the stark black and white. The walls were painted a rich color of brown, and the comforter on her bed was a quilt of different African and Indian prints. The walls had various drawings (most of nature related things) and posters, and in the corner sat a wooden desk and lone potted plant.

Exotica flopped down on her bed, and let loose a big sigh.

"Ugh, school is so exhausting." She complained. One of the drawings on the wall flopped down from the motion, and she reached up to smooth the tape back down.

"Did you draw these?" Victoria asked, looking at the art covering the walls.

"What? Oh , yeah- they're mostly just doodles, though."

"They're really good!" Victoria explained, taking a closer look at the one closest to her. It was a pencil drawing of a little bird sitting on a pine branch. There was snow on the branch, and it looked like each little needle and snowflake was carefully drawn and shaded, giving it a very realistic feel.

"Do you want to do art for a living?" She asked. Exotica sat up with a startled lol on her face.

"You mean like a job? God, no. It's just a hobby." Exotica stretched out, giving a big yawn.

"So what do you wanna do?" She asked.

"Uh, I don't know. It's your house. What do have to do?"

"We could go in the basement and play some Mario cart."

Victoria perked up at that suggestion. "Yeah! I haven't played that game in _ages_."

"Awesome! Let's go then."

Exotica jumped up from her bed, full of energy again. "But first- we go to the kitchen to get snacks."

The two exited the room just as the door to the house opened and slammed shut.

"Sounds like Cassandra's here." Exotica said, making her way downstairs. "Let's say hi."

Cassandra was in the living room, looking at a magazine when they walked in.

"Hey Cass." Exotica said, waving to her sister. Cassandra looked up at the two girls for only a second before returning to her magazine.

"Hi." She said distractedly.

"This is my friend Victoria, she's new-"

"I know who she is." Cassandra interrupted, rolling her eyes. An awkward silence followed. Victoria shifted on her feet, not quite sure where to look. Exotica tried to make conversation again.

"Is that- uh, the new Vogue?" She asked.

"Well, it just at came in the mail today, what do you think?"

Exotica grunted in annoyance at her sister's unwillingness to socialize. "Whatever. Come on, Victoria, let's get those snacks."

She turned on her heel to leave, but was stopped when Cassandra called out.

"Wait- Bombalurina wanted me to tell you something."

Exotica whirled back around, surprise on her face. "_Me_? When has Bombalurina ever wanted to talk to _me_?"

"Well, not you exactly. Victoria. She wanted me to invite you two to Asparagus Jr.'s pool party this weekend."

The girls exchanged confused glances.

"Before you ask," Cassandra continued, "I have no idea why. If you ask me, you two will be totally out of place. But Bombs does what she does for a reason, so you had better be there."

Victoria couldn't believe it. Bombalurina, the apparent queen of the school, wanted _her_ at a pool party? She didn't even know Bombalurina knew she existed, let alone knew who she was. She had only been at the school for two days. What did she want from her? Victoria wasn't even sure she had a decent bathing suit to wear.

Clearly done with the conversation, Cassandra brushed past them to the stairs.

"I'm going to do my nails. Whatever you end up doing, just leave me alone."

And with that she disappeared.

Victoria turned to Exotica. "Uh, is that normal?"

"Cassandra doing her nails and locking me out her room? Yeah, pretty normal."

"No, no- the whole being invited to a party from someone I don't even know thing."

"Oh, that? Yeah that's pretty weird. Bombalurina very rarely invites anyone who's not in her posse to anything."

"Do you think she could be up to something?" Victoria asked, wringing her hands.

"I don't think so. She doesn't know you enough to have a reason to hate you yet. I guess we'll see on Saturday anyways."

"So we're going?"

"Of course! You don't decline an invitation like that no matter _what_ the circumstances are. So are we gonna play Mario Kart or what?"


	6. Chapter 6

"So, you've never been to one of these parties before?" Victoria asked.

"Never in my life." Exotica confirmed.

It was now early that Saturday evening. The rest of the week had passed relatively quietly. Nothing too spectacular happened, though Plato did try to get Victoria's phone number. That one threw her for a loop. In her old school, boys never really paid any mind to her, so she wasn't used to the attention.

"Let's see what you've got to wear." Exotica said as she hunted through her closet, looking for a cover up to go with her African printed bikini. Exotica had invited Victoria over the night before, telling her to bring her bathing suit so they could get ready together.

Victoria walked over to the bag she had brought, and pulled out the conservative white one piece she brought.

"I was going to wear it with this-" she pulled out a white cotton wrap, "around my waist."

Exotica nodded in approval. "I like it."

Victoria flopped onto Exotica's bed, combing a hand through her platinum hair. Her stomach felt like it had a hundred tons of weight pressing down on it. She had no idea why she was so nervous. It was just a party, right? It wasn't that big of a deal. She went to plenty of parties back home. Though, those were more of "gatherings" than anything else. She had a feeling this party was going to be way more intense than any party she's been to with just her small group of friends.

Victoria tried to ignore her feeling of unease and went into Exotica's bathroom. When she came back out, Cassandra walked into the room.

"Hey, Exotica, I'm taking the car to go to-" she stopped mid sentence, looking at Victoria with a disgusted look. Victoria shrunk under her gaze.

"You aren't thinking about wearing that to the party, are you?" Cassandra asked, her top lip curling with her disbelief. Victoria blushed and looked down at the herself. What was wrong with her bathing suit?

"Absolutely not." Cassandra sashayed into the room and snatched Victoria's hand, dragging her out of the room. "You're coming with me."

Victoria looked back helplessly at Exotica, but she just shrugged and followed behind, knowing nothing would stop her sister.

* * *

"I still can't believe you invited the new girl to the party tonight." Demeter said as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. "That's so unlike you." She turned around and scrutinized her sister with narrowed eyes. "What are you planning?"

From her position in front of the vanity mirror, Bombalurina rolled her eyes and applied her signature red lipstick. "Does everything I do have to have some sinister plot behind it?"

Demeter thought for a second, then nodded. "Yes."

This provoked a laugh from Bombalurina. "I'm not all bad, Deme. You would know that better than anyone."

Demeter sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. "Yeah, I know."

Many of the people at their school, especially the girls, thought that Bombalurina was a conniving, critical person. They only saw her for the sharp edge of her personality, the part of her that intimidated other and to a degree, kept them in line. But they often never got to see Bombalurina's decent side. Under all of her attitude and hard outer surface, she was actually a mature, intellectual, and often kind person. But as Bombalurina often said, those traits are not what got her to where she was. Her flirtatious nature could bring any boy in their school to their knees, and her sharp tongue and unrelenting temper often intimidated the girls into submission. Demeter just wished that she would show her softer side more often.

"All I'm saying is, don't embarrass her, Bombs. She's only a sophomore." Demeter said, biting her lip.

"It's nothing negative, I promise." Bombalurina admitted, still seeing the worry on her sister's face. "I just want to see how she acts in a social situation, that's all." She fastened her red halter bikini top around her neck, and pulled on her shoes.

"Are you driving, or am I?" Demeter finally asked, knowing her sister would say no more about the subject. There was no point in badgering her sister over something she knew she would stay tight lipped about.

"Actually," Bombalurina said as she buckled her wedges, "Tugger said he would pick us up."

Demeter raised her eyebrow at this. "And Macavity is okay with that?"

Bombalurina's features twisting in agitation. "He doesn't run my life." She hissed. "Besides, Munk's riding with us too. And _nothing_ fun happens when he's around. Why do you care?"

Demeter was a little surprised about this outburst, but stayed silent. She had been noticing a rift starting to grow between Macavity and her sister. Whenever she asked her about it, Bombalurina always clammed or got angry. Demeter wished she knew what was wrong, but again, she knew better than to pry. Bonbalurina would tell her when she felt it necessary, and not a second sooner.

"I'm going to get a water bottle from the fridge before we go," Demeter said, changing the subject. "Do you want one?"

Bombalurina shook her head, and walked back to the vanity, fluffing and smoothing and adjusting her appearance for the umpteenth time, until it was perfect.

* * *

"I don't know, Cassandra. It's not really my style..."

Victoria stared at herself in the full length mirror in Cassandra's room. Cassandra had fitted her out in a black and white bikini, and not a very conservative one at that. It was strapless, and the bottoms tied at the side with gold fabric. It was definitely _not_ something Victoria would wear of her own accord.

"Nonsense, you look great." Cassandra tutted, then cocked her head to this side as she scrutinized Victoria's appearance. "Well, almost."

Exotica was watching from Cassandra's bed, cross legged and leaning back on her hands. She had been quiet during Cassandra's makeover episode, just watching with large, attentive eyes.

"Can I at least wear my cover up?" Victoria asked sheepishly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You mean that cotton atrocity? I wouldn't. But you can do whatever you want, I guess." Cassandra wrinkled her nose. She turned to her sister.

"Where are the keys to the car?"

"Uh, you can't use the car, Cass." Exotica said, speaking for the first time in the last half hour. "Me and Victoria need it. Why don't you get a ride with Alonzo?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes dramatically. "He went early to help Gus set up for the party."

"Well I need the car. Unless you want to ride with us...?"

Cassandra made a sounds of disgust and turned on her heel at the suggestion.

"I'll just get a ride with Bombs and Deme." She grumbled, storming out of the room.

* * *

Munkustrap irritatedly knocked on the door to the bathroom for the fifth time. "You almost done in there, man? We're going to be late for picking up the girls." He said, glancing down at his watch. Tugger had been in there nearly half an hour. He did those every time they went somewhere, and Munkustrap was absolutely positive it was the most aggravating thing in the world.

Their third brother, Macavity, had been absent most of the evening and would not be attending the party because he had "other things to do." What ever that meant. Munkustrap had noticed that Macavity was disappearing without a real explanation more and more often, and for longer stretches of time. Munkustrap didn't like it one bit, but he tried not to let it bother him. His brother was a legal adult now, so he could do whatever he wanted. And if he got in trouble, that was his own fault.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Tugger said as he strolled out of the bathroom in swim trunks, a towel draped over his shoulder. He slipped on his aviators.

"What were you even doing in there for that long?" Munkustrap asked, crossing his arms.

"Tsk tsk, Munkustrap. Don't you know better than to rush perfection?" Tugger said, giving his brother a sly smile.

"Pfft, as if. You're a good stone throw away from perfect, Tugs."

Tugger frowned. "Don't call me Tugs. No one's called me that since the third grade."

"An immature name for an immature guy. Seems fitting." Munkustrap teased. Tugger playfully shoved his brother for the insult then grabbed his keys.

"C'mon, loser, let's go get the girls."

The two of them walked out of the house after saying a brief goodbye to their father, and climbed into the car.

As Tugger climbed into the driver's seat, Munkustrap opened the door to the passenger seat.

"Hey- whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you think you're doing?"

Mukustrap's eyebrows raised. "Getting in the car. What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're getting into Bomba's seat." Tugger remarked.

Munkustrap groaned. "You've got to be kidding."

"You can sit in the back with Deme. I'm sure she'd enjoy the company." Tugger rebutted flippantly.

"I'm not riding in the backseat, Tugger." Munkustrap said gruffly. "I'll move when we get to the girls' place, if that will make you happy."

Tugger begrudgingly nodded, and Munkustrap got into the car, closing the door. Munkustrap wasn't really surprised. Tugger had always given Bombalurina special treatment. Munkustrap suspected it might be because he might have more feelings for her then his playboy image would allow, but of course he couldn't say that to him out loud. He would deny it to the grave. Tugger was all about his image of being a playboy, and admitting that any girl might have caught his specific attention was far beyond his maturity and pride. He just hoped that Tugger had the common sense not to act on whatever feelings he may or may not have, especially since she was dating their brother. There was no way that could end cleanly, especially with Macavity's temper problem.

* * *

"The boys are here!" Demeter yelled, picking up her beach bag.

"Okay, I just got a text from Cass saying she needs a ride, so we'll have to tell them." Bombalurina said, grabbing her phone and purse. "You got house keys?"

Demeter held them up in her hand. "Got 'em."

"Fantastic, let's go."

The girls walked out of the house, locking the door behind them. As promised, Munkustrap moved to the back seat, where Demeter joined him. Bombalurina slid into the passenger seat, placing her bag down near her feet.

"Hey there, handsome." Bombalurina said, winking at Tugger.

"Hey, babe." Tugger returned with a flirtatious smile. "You ready to go?"

"Mhmm." She said, crossing her legs delicately. "But we have to go around to Cass's house first. She just texted me that she needed a ride."

"Will do." Tugger nodded, pulling out of the driveway.

In the back seat, Demeter gave a half smile to Munkustrap. "So, you got exiled to the back, too?"

He laughed. "Yeah. What else is new?"

When he moved, their bare knees brush against each other, and the sensation sent an electric zing up Demeter's leg. She fought the urge to blush.

"Where's Macavity?" She said, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.

Munkustrap frowned and looked away, scratching the back of his head. "He couldn't make it tonight. He said he had something to take care of. Lord knows what that means. But it's whatever. Parties were never really his thing anyways."

"Yeah." Demeter agreed. "For someone who's supposedly the 'king of the school,' he doesn't really do too much socially, does he?"

"Not really, no."

"Bombalurina doesn't really seem to mind, though. She's social enough for the both of them."

Munkustrap gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I guess she is."

The car came to a stop as they pulled into Cassandra's driveway. She came running out of the house, beach bag in tow. She flew opened the back car door on Demeter's side and climbed in, situating herself between Demeter and Munkustrap before immediately leaning forward to the front seats to talk to Bombalurina. Demeter sighed and looked out her window, her chin resting on her fist. Well, so much for conversation.

"Ready to go?" Exotica asked as she tightened her ponytail.

Victoria sighed and looked in the mirror again. She tugged at her bun and adjusted the hem of the shirt she was wearing to cover up. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. She hardly knew any of these people. What if she made a bad impression? It would be all over- she'd be socially ruined. And why did the queen bee of the school want her to go? Was it some kind of test?

Victoria's stomach twisted in knots.

"Victoria, we need to go soon. Cass and her friends are already at the party. The 'fashionably late' window is steadily closing."

Victoria nodded and bit her lip. She was being silly. It wasn't that big of a deal, right?

"Let's go." She said as confidently as she could, but she couldn't keep a slight waver from her voice.

"Fantastic!" Exotica exclaimed, and they walked out to the car.

Victoria tried to console herself. She was sure she was getting worked up over nothing. There probably wouldn't even be that many kids there, right? If it was just the popular crowd, that couldn't be very big. It would just be a casual little party. She had nothing to worry about, right?

She hoped so.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you all for all the kind reviews I've gotten on this so far! They really mean a lot! I'm trying to get a chapter up once every week or so, so we'll see how long that lasts haha.**

* * *

It was the wildest party Victoria had ever seen. There were teenagers everywhere. In the pool, on the tables, in the chairs, and on the balcony. The music from the speakers inside and out were so loud, it vibrated in her rib cage. There was yelling and loud laughter, and the squealing of girls in bikinis being chased around by group of boys added to the madness.

Victoria wasn't sure if she was excited or disgusted, but either way her stomach was tying itself in knots.

"Oh my gosh Exotica, what are we _doing_ here?"

Victoria had never been to this kind of party before. Sure, she saw it in movies and stuff, but she never thought they were actually _real_. Where were the kid's parents, for heavens sake?

"Come on," Exotica said, her eyes wide with excitement. "Let's see if we can find my sister and her friends."

She grabbed Victoria's hand and yanked her into the throng of people. Teenagers swarmed around her, pushing and jumping and dancing to the baseline that thumped through the house. A dancing couple ran into her, making them spill their drinks. The girl gave Victoria a glare and grabbed the hand of her dance parter, pulling him further into the throng. It was like the entire property was a living organism, moving in chaos to an erratic heartbeat.

It was terrifying.

"Found 'Em!" Exotica yelled back to Victoria, trying to be heard over the noise. Keeping a firm grasp on her hand, Exotica pulled Victoria outside through the back door.

Sure enough, Bombalurina and her clan were all together on the opposite side of the pool. Bombalurina herself sat on a lawn chair, her sister occupying the one beside her. Victoria spotted Cassandra standing with her back against her boyfriend Alonzo's chest, his hands firmly gripping her waist as he whispered something in her ear.

"Should we go over and say hi?" Victoria asked, uncertainty making her freeze her in her spot. These people were totally out of her social league. But they did sort of invite her. What was the proper social protocol for this kind of thing?

Luckily, she didn't have to make a decision. Demeter had apparently spotted her, and motioned for the two of them to come over. Victoria and Exotica looked at each other for a brief moment before complying.

Bombalurina sat up from her lounging position when they approached, a smile planted on her face. Victoria couldn't tell if it was genuine or not.

"Hi." She said, her voice smooth and practiced. "You must be Victoria, right?"

Victoria seemed to suddenly not be able to speak, her nerves taking hold of her tongue. After a second she finally blurted out a shaky "Uh, yeah."

She wanted to slap herself in the face. She was meeting the apparent queen of the school, and all she could think of to say was 'uh, yeah?' Victoria silently cursed her shyness. But before she could say anything more, two arguing teenage boys came rambling over. Victoria recognized them as two of the three brothers from the lunch table earlier in the week.

"Tugger, you have to stop flirting with girls you know have boyfriends! If I have to talk down one more meat head from bashing your brains in-"

"Cool your jets, 'Straps!" Tugger said, cutting of his brother. "I can't help it if the ladies find me _irresistible_. Speaking of," Tugger seemed to have noticed that there were new arrivals within the group. His eyes scanned over Exotica and Victoria, grinning in a lopsided way that took Victoria's breath away.

"What do we have here?" He asked. Victoria felt her mouth go dry. The two brothers had clearly recently been in the pool. They were both really well built, and the water from the pool looked _amazing_ dripping down their chiseled chests. Luckily, Bombalurina spoke up, snapping Victoria out of her trance.

"This is Victoria," she said, "she's the new girl. And you know Exotica."

Tugger threw a wink at Exotica and gave Victoria another once over. He grabbed her hand, and bent down the kiss it.

"Nice to meet you." He said, looking up at her with his big brown eyes. Fire zipped up Victoria's arm and she was positive her legs would turn into Jell-O and melt away any second. She pulled her hand away, her face going beat red. Munkustrap rolled his eyes behind his brother.

"For Pete's sake, Tugger. Would you stop flirting with the underclassmen?" He groaned, shoving Tugger over. Tugger laughed.

"I'm just having some fun, Munk. Don't be such a stick in the mud." He defended, pushing his brother back in retaliation. Victoria blinked and shook her head, trying to clear her muddied thoughts and feeling incredibly overwhelmed. From her chair, Bombalurina gracefully stood and tossed her hair over her shoulder with her manicured hand.

"I'm thirsty." She announced. She turned to Victoria. "Get a drink with me?"

Victoria's gaze shot right to Exotica, her eyes wide with panic. Exotica gave her a minuscule nod, and prodded her forward.

"S-sure." She said, nervously tucking a stay hair behind her ear.

"Fantastic." Bombalurina looped her arm with Victoria's and waved to the group before they started making their way back to the house. As they walked, Victoria could feel the stares in her direction. She noticed a couple girls whispering and looking at her, and she felt her cheeks flush. She hated all this attention. It was like every single person was just watching and judging her. She wished she could disappear.

Once they got into the crowded house, the turbulent crowd of teens that had been knocking into her before parted like a wave where Bombalurina walked. One teenage boy dared to call out to her.

"Hey, Bomba baby- why don't you come dance with me, huh?" He yelled, making a kissing noise with his lips.

"Not on your life, George." She yelled back, not even looking at him. Victoria was in awe at how everything just rolled off her back.

They finally made it to the cooler with the drinks. Bombalurina bent over and reached into the cooler.

"Do you want one?" She asked. Victoria shook her head. Bombalurina shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

She pulled out a can of soda and flipped open the tab, taking a sip. Victoria shifted back and forth on her feet, not really sure what to say. She scanned the throng of dancing teenagers, looking for no one in particular. Then it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't yet seen the eldest brother of the two she had seen earlier. He was the only one in Bombalurina's group that wasn't there.

"Hey, where's your boyfriend?" She asked. Beside her, Bombalurina made a face.

"Mac was busy." She said gruffly, looking down at her drink. Victoria winced. Did she say something wrong? Great- the one time she opens her mouth, she screws everything up. Victoria opened her mouth to make amends, but shut it again, not knowing what to say.

* * *

Bombalurina felt a bout of bitterness as she stared down at her soda. She wasn't mad at Victoria, but any mention of her boyfriend left a bad taste in her mouth. He was always running off and doing who knows what with God knows who. He never told her what he was doing, no matter how much she asked. And the more she pried, the more he got angry with her. She didn't want to admit it, but her relationship was falling apart at the seams. She glanced down at the bruise on her wrist and bit her lip. Their last argument had gotten a little too heated and he had grabbed her arm a little too roughly. She managed to pass it off to Demeter as an accident that happened at the gym, but she wasn't sure Demeter was totally bereft of skepticism.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, plastering her well trained smile back on her face.

"Let's meet back up with everybody, shall we?" She didn't bother waiting for an answer, and began charging ahead. She didn't bother trying to avoid people as she went, knowing they would move out of her way.

When they had made it back, there was only Demeter, Munkustrap, and Tugger left.

"Alonzo and Cassandra left to go makeout." Tugger said, earning an elbow in the gut from Munkustrap. Tugger grasped his stomach and whined, miming an actual injury. Demeter rolled her eyes at the display.

"What are you up to?" Bombalurina said, biting back a smile as Tugger dropped to the ground dramatically, pretending to be dead. Behind her, Victoria giggled.

"We were just going to play Paranoia." Demeter said. Bombalurina raised an eyebrow. Demeter wasn't usually into playing the party games when they were out. She must have been in a good mood to agree to it. Bombalurina's eyes drifted to beside her sister, where Munkustrap sat, and noticed that they say close enough that their legs touched. She had to stifle a grin. Of course, that was what was putting Demeter in such a good mood. Well, if they wanted to play a game, so be it. She needed a distraction anyways.

"What are you waiting for then? Go find the others and get them over here! This party could use a little fun!" She proclaimed, and everyone scrambled up and ran off to gather friends.


	8. Chapter 8

Within ten minutes, a group of fifteen or more rowdy teenagers were sitting in a shape that almost resembled a circle, but was broken up by the attempt to crowd on various couches, chairs, and tables. Victoria was sitting in a large leather chair, squished as she shared it with Exotica, who seemed to be soaking it all in with excited curiosity. Bombalurina motioned from her spot on the couch between Demeter and Munkustrap for everyone to be silent.

"Does everyone know how to play the game?" She asked. She got mixed answers.

"Alright. I'll explain it. To play Paranoia, you have to first sit in a circle. Then the person who starts will whisper a question to the person to their right. This person then has to answer the question out loud, so the whole group can hear."

Victoria looked to her left and felt a wave of panic. She was sitting beside Cassandra. No doubt she would ask her an incredibly embarrassing question. Victoria scrunched lower in her seat.

"Then someone will flip a coin, or in this case shoe-" she held up the flip flop that had been supplied by a reluctant Cassandra. "If the flip flop lands face up, the asker has to say the question out loud. If it lands face down, you're safe." She looked mischievously around circle. Victoria felt herself shrinking lower. The more the game was explained, the less and less fun it sounded. In fact, it sounded more similar to social torture than a game. But what had she really expected? A simple innocent game? Not with this group.

"So," Bombalurina said, grinning mischievously. "Who wants to go first?"

To Victoria's relief, it was George who held up his hand. He whispered into Carbuckety's ear, giving a chuckle at his question. Carbuckety's made a face, and then sat in thought for a moment. Eventually, he pronounced his answer.

"Griddlebone."

There were ooo's around the circle, and Carbuckety flipped the shoe in the air. Luckily for him, the show landed face down. Next it was Carbuckety's turn to his right and ask Admetus a question. Victoria didn't pay much attention to the game as she but her lip in worry, occasionally stealing glances at Cassandra. Why had she chosen to sit near her out of all people? Oh well, she couldn't exactly move now. Besides, how embarrassing could the question really be? Trying to ignore her anxiety, Victoria tuned back into the game.

Alonzo was whispering in Tugger's ear, and as he spoke a sly grin grew on his face. When Alonzo was finished, Tugger leaned back with a breezy smirk.

"Easy. Bomba." He said. There were some laughs and cat calls around the circle, but it didn't seem to phase Tugger. Or Bombalurina, really. Victoria was amazing at their cool attitudes. Did nothing phase these people? Tugger tossed the shoe I the air, and this time it landed face up. Now the ooo's were loud and filled with teasing laughter. Alonzo's eyes sparkled as he repeated the question out loud.

"If you had to pick one person from the circle to play Seven Minutes in Heaven with, who would it be?"

The crowd of teenagers laughed and made loud suggestive remarks, each worse than the last. Victoria's ears burned and she wished she could disappear. Suddenly a loud chant came from the crowd, encouraging Tugger to act on his claim. Still, both Bombalurina and Tugger were at ease in the situation. Bombaulrina was laughing, even. She winked at Tugger and blew him a kiss, only egging the crowd on. Victoria blushed. Bombalurina had a boyfriend- why was she encouraging this kind of behavior? Victoria jumped when Exotica elbowed her in the side.

"Hey- you alright? You look kind of pale." She said. Victoria shook her head.

"Why is Bombalurina so okay with this? She has a boyfriend." She said. Exotica laughed.

"It's just a bit of fun. Besides- Macavity isn't here, and it's not like they're doing anything bad. Tugger flirts with everyone. So does Bombalurina. It's just what they do."

Victoria sighed and turned her attention back to the game. She still wasn't sure she was okay with this whole situation, but she seemed to be in the minority. Maybe it really wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe she was just overreacting.

Tugger was whispering in Munkustraps ear now, and Munkustrap's eyes widened. His face flushed and he shoved his brother away.

"No way I'm answering that!" Munkustrap growled. Tugger burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. Victoria could only imagine what he had asked him. She thought it was probably best she didn't know, lest she be scandalized further.

"The look on your face! Haha! Priceless!" Tugger laughed. He wiped a finger under his eye as if he were crying from his giggle fit. Munkustrap punched him in the arm, causing Tugger to wince.

"Okay! Okay! Fine, I'll give you another question, jeez!"

He leaned over and whispered another question into Munkustrap's ear, and he seemed to find this one more agreeable.

"Melody from next door." He said. Tugger's eyebrows raised.

"Really? You sly dog!" Tugger said, and raised his hand to give Munkustrap a high five. He sighed and begrudgingly accepted, then tossed the shoe. It landed face down, and Munkustrap breathed a sigh of relief. Victoria spotted Demeter looking at him in question, but Munkustrap didn't look her way.

Next, it was Munkustrap's turn to ask Bombalurina a question.

"My boyfriend, Macavity of course." She said, her voice even. Munkustrap seemed to be pleased by the answer, and handed Bombalurina the shoe. She tossed it in the air, and it landed face up. Munkustrap repeated his question for the group.

"If you had to be stranded on an island with only one other person to keep you company, who would it be?"

Victoria tuned out after that, to distracted by her own turn coming up. Bombalurina would ask Demeter a question, then Demeter would ask Cassandra, and then it would be her turn. Her stomach flipped in nervousness. What is Cassandra was like Tugger and wanted to ask her the most embarrassing question possible? What would she do? She couldn't just quit the game- and she didn't know Cassandra well enough to refuse the question without sounding rude. She was totally at Cassandra's mercy, and it was terrifying. And before she knew it, it was her turn.

She wiped her sweaty palms on her legs, and stared at Cassandra with wide eyes. Cassandra had a smile on her face that Victoria didn't think looked very friendly. She swallowed heavily and leaned over for Cassandra to whisper in her ear.

"_If you had to cover someone in the circle completely in only peanut butter and get it all off using only your tongue, who would it be?"_

Victoria blanched, her face going white as a sheet. She pulled back and looked at Cassandra, who was grinning with a devilish smile. Cassandra was trying to make a fool out of her on _purpose_! Victoria's hands shook as she looked around the circle, feeling queasy. Who could she possibly pick? She didn't know any of these people! But she had to pick _someone_. Who would be the least likely to make a fuss over it and embarrass her? Her eyes landed on Munkustrap. He seemed like the least likely to cause nonsense- but could she really name him? On the other hand, what choice did she have?

She took a deep breath and her gaze dropped down to her lap. "Munkustrap." She said. The chorus of ooo's returned in the circle, and Munkustraps's head snapped up to look at her. She blushed and covered her face in her hands. Why had she agreed to come to this party again? Because she was clearly too embarrassed to do it herself, Cassandra flipped the shoe for her. Victoria was too scared to look. When she heard the shoe drop, she peaked through her fingers and was relieved when she saw it was laying face down. The relief was so strong she felt like crying.

Exotica looked at her expectantly, and Victoria suddenly remembered that she had to ask her a question. She was so worked up over the question she would be asked, she forgot to think one up. She came up with one and whispered it in Exotica's ear. She answered and tossed the shoe, which landed face down. Victoria excused herself to the restroom while Exotica was asking her question.


	9. Chapter 9

Bombalurina watched carefully as Victoria got up and left the circle, still looking rather flustered from her question. Bomablurina's lips curved into a small smile at her retreating form. Victoria hadn't cracked under pressure, though it was obvious she had been close. She held it together. Bombalurina had sat Cassandra beside Victoria for that very reason, and she hadn't been dissatisfied. No doubt Cassandra asked her some grueling question, but Victoria hadn't backed down out of the game or refused to answer. It was clear she didn't really care for it, whatever it was, but she dealt with it anyways. Very interesting.

Bombalurina let the game go on for a few more rounds, sitting and playing along as she contemplated when her next move would be. When she saw that Victoria was coming back from the restroom, she stood up and stretched her back, grabbing the attention of those in the circle.

"I'm getting kind of hot. I think I'm going to get in the pool." She said. And of course, all at once the game stopped. There were murmurs of agreement, and the circle dissipated, leaving just Bombalurina's main group left. Before Victoria could walk out of their view, Bombalurina called her over.

"Victoria, aren't you going to come swimming with us?" She asked, raising a manicured eyebrow. Victoria looked startled at the question. As she should. Bombaulrina didn't do this sort of thing very often, and she was glad Victoria knew better than to expect anything from her.

"Um, okay." Victoria said. Bombalurina could see that she was scanning the crowd for Exotica, but Bombalurina had already sent her friend off to have fun, saying she had something to talk about with Victoria. Bombaulrina flashed her a smile, then motioned for her posse to follow her.

"Great. I think a dip in the pool is exactly what we need." Bombalurina flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned on her heel to head towards the back door. She could feel Demeter's gaze boring through her in question, but Bombalurina ignored it. Demeter would find out soon enough.

Tugger and Alonzo peeled off from the rest of the group to get drinks, and Munkustrap went to break up a fight that had begun between two of the jocks. That left Bombalurina, Cassandra, Demeter, and a wary Victoria. There was a small group playing chicken in the pool and Bombaurina perched on the edge, dipping her legs in far out of the splash zone of the other teenagers. She looked up at Victoria and patted the space beside her.

"Sit." Bombalurina commanded. Victoria paused for a moment, looking in certain, then sat, gracefully tucking her feet underneath herself and smoothing out her cover up. Bombalurina gave her a catlike smile and carefully crossed her legs.

"How are you liking our school, Victoria?" She asked sweetly. Victoria squirmed slightly under the attention, like a rabbit caught in a trap.

"It-it's okay, I guess. Different from my old school." She murmured. Bombalurina cocked her head to the side in question.

"Different how?" She asked. Victoria swallowed thickly, and her eyes dashed away, looking down at the light dancing in the pool.

"I-I just mean, everyone here is so... Loud." She said, picking at her nails with a blush. "I went to a private school before this."

Bombalurina laughed in disbelief and arched a brow. "Well, it's not like private school kids do any less partying than we do."

"A Christian private school." Victoria amended. "A very small one."

"Ah, I see. Well, what do you think? Do you like this sort of thing?" Bombalurina tested, spreading her arms around her to gesture to the party. The ruckus around them had hardly settled, and across the pool two of the football players tossed one of their friends fully clothed into the pool, hooting and sloshing their drinks around. There were teenagers laughing and yelling and dancing and flirting everywhere, reckless and wild. And at the center, the calm in the eye of the storm, was Bombalurina- polished and calculating. And exactly where she wanted to be, where she worked so hard to be.

Victoria hesitated for a moment, biting her lip in thought. Bombalurina watched her carefully, giving Victoria the time she needed. Bombalurina's next move depended on Victoria's answer.

Finally, Victoria looked up again and smiled. "Yeah. It's pretty new, but it seems like fun."

Bombalurina's face burst into a smile, and she leaned back on her hands. She had judged Victoria correctly then. She might not love every aspect of the partying life style, neither did Bombalurina. But she clearly saw the opportunity in front of her and wasn't going to throw it away. It was a good start. A very good start. "Listen, Victoria." She said. "I don't do this often, but you seem like a nice girl." Maybe a little too nice. But that could be fixed. "And I know it's hard adjusting to a new school. So, you're welcome to sit with us at lunch."

Victoria's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Bombalurina wanted her to sit at her table? Why? What could the queen bee possibly want with her? She wasn't the right kind of person for this crowd in the slightest. She was shy, awkward, quiet... Everything Bombalurina wasn't. "I..." She stuttered. "I don't know. I mean, Exotica already invited me to..." She trailed off, seeing the flash of challenge in Bombalurina's eyes. But she couldn't just ten her back on exotica and her friends. They had been so kind to her! And frankly she wasn't sure she trusted Bombalurina and her crew. She just... Needed to think about it.

"That's fine." Bombalurina said, but the slightest edge in her voice told Victoria it really wasn't. "Just let me know."

Victoria gave her a quick nod, afraid to say anything else that might upset Bombalurina. She might be hesitant about being friends with her, but she definitely didn't want to get on her bad side. It was hard enough transitioning, she didn't need someone picking on her on top of it. If it meant she had to participate in a little bit of high school politics, so be it. She just wanted to live to see her senior year in peace.

Thankfully, there wasn't much time for Bombalurina to intimidate her longer, for a girl was scampering up to them, giggling and obviously having had too many drinks. She looked smaller than Victoria, obviously a freshman, and her brown hair was plaited into two braids, only adding to her youthful look. Victoria saw Bombalurina's lips tip slightly in annoyance, but her voice was sweet as honey as she spoke. "Etcetera? What are you doing here?" She asked.

The girl, Etcetera, was practically jumping up and down, her face flustered and red. "Tugger sent me to get you!" She squealed. Victoria winced at her loud, high voice. It seemed it had caught the attention of some of the other students as well, some of them looking their way. "Hey wants you to meet him in the bedroom upstairs!" She yelled, another round of drunken giggles escaping her. Bombalurina's face twisted into a scowl and she pushed herself off of the edge of the pool. Would it kill that girl to be quiet? She didn't need her spreading rumors about her and Tugger.

Her eyes darted over to where Demeter sat on a lawn chair, and was watching her with a warning eye. Bombalurina look back at Etcetera, trying to keep her annoyance from showing. Really, would it kill Demeter to stay out of her business for once? And what was Tugger thinking sending Etcetera of all people? She would need to give him a stern talking to. Well, so much for talking to Victoria. Heaven knows she needed to see what Tugger thought was so very important that he had to send the most chatty, gossipy freshman girl to get her. This had better be good.

"Thank you, Cettie." She said, trying not to sound too coarse. She could see Victoria looked confused, but she didn't have time to explain, so she just gave the younger girl a small smile. "I'll see you around, Victoria. Think about what I said." The pale blond girl nodded and Tirzah turned on her heel, satisfied that she had accomplished what she had set out to. If Victoria was smart, she would take Bombalurina up on her offer. If not, that's was her loss, and she wouldn't worry about it. But right now someone else was in need of her attention. A queen's work was never done, it seemed.

OoOoOoOoOo

"Tugger, you had better have a good reason for sending Etcetera to get me in front of all those people." Bombalurina scolded as she pushed the door to the bedroom open. She found his sprawled out on the bed, leaning on one elbow and smirking up at her.

"Hello to you too, babe." He purred, a slight slur to his voice. Bombalurina scoffed and leaned against the door to close it behind her, one of her hands moving to turn the lock. Perhaps it was the way he was looking her up and down with a feral grin, but something told her they might not want to have any intruders during whatever he might have called her up here for. However, she wasn't going to give into him that easily, and she stayed against the door, crossing her arms over her chest.

He pushed himself up off the bed, his grin only growing wider as he neared her. She had to bite her lip to keep herself fro ms miming back at him. Even when he was being an irresponsible dolt he looked adorable. How was that fair? And he knew it too, the smug bastard. His arms slid around the small of her back, a small pout on his face. "Aww, come on Bombs, you know you cant stay mad at meee..." He crooned, his head dipping down to kiss her. She could smell the liquor on his breath. Just before his lips met hers, she put a hand up between them, stopping him in his tracks. He groaned in annoyance and pulled away.

"You're impossible, you know that?" He grumbled, his hands sneaking down to give her behind a little pinch.

"And your drunk." Bombalurina retorted.

"I only had one drink!" Tugger whined. That made Bombalurina laugh, her arms circling around his neck.

"Riiiight." She said. "And I'm the queen of England." Honestly, who did he think he was fooling? She had known him all her life. He had passed one drink about two hours ago. Not that it really mattered at this point. He was changing the subject, and she wasn't going to let him get off that easy. "You must be drunk, because you'd never do something so stupid as send Etcetera to get me sober."

He huffed in annoyance, his arms tightening around her. "Are we still on that? She wouldn't leave me alone. I wanted to get rid of her. You know how she is."

"Yes, I do know how she is that's the problem." Bombalurina said tersely. Did he not see what he had done? They couldn't afford to have a rumor like them being together circulating around the school. That would only cause them endless trouble that neither of them wanted. "Half the school probably knows that you dragged me up to the bedroom to do who knows what by now."

"So?" He said, clearly getting impatient as he dropped his head to her neck where he started to place gentle, persuasive kisses, begging her to let it go. One hand drifted into his hair with a soft sigh.

"So!" She said. "What if Macavity hears? You know what would happen if he found out what we've been up to."

"Screw Macavity!" Tugger suddenly growled angrily, his teeth nipping her neck harshly. Bombalurina gasped, her fingers tightening in his hair. He pulled away from her, and she was struck by the sudden seriousness in his green eyes. His hand caught her chin, and he lowered his mouth over hers, capturing her with his kiss. She couldn't help but melt into him. She was no match against his affection. He knew her every weakness, himself being the biggest. It was over too soon, though, and he pulled back just enough that their breaths mingled. "You don't love him." He said, his voice gentler than before. "You love me."

Her eyes fluttered open to find his, her chest rising and falling against his. His brows furrowed slightly, his gaze dropping to her lips. "Don't you?" He breathed, suddenly sounding unsure. Her defenses crumbled at the sudden vulnerability, her heart jumping for him.

"Of course," She said, her arms wrapping around his neck, and her forehead resting against his. His grin returned to his face, his eyes flashing.

"Good. You'd better." He said before sweeping her up in her arms and crashing his lips over hers. She shrieked and clutched onto him for dear life, a laugh escaping her, which was swallowed up in the lock of their lips. He stumbled a bit as he carried her over to the bed, but it was still impressive for how many drinks he had consumed already that night. He tossed her onto the sheets and quickly climbed into bed with her, an eager grin on his face as he crawled over her. "Man, you're beautiful." He complimented, running a hand through her red curls as her legs wrapped around his hips to draw him nearer. His smirk turned more devious, a passionate flash in his eyes. "And you're all mine."

She was in no place to argue, and they found each other once more, lips and tongues and hands searching each other desperately as they forgot the outside world and the things keeping them apart for just a little longer.


End file.
